Gustav heney block



(No Model.)

G. H. BLOCK.

APPARATUS FOR REPRODUCING COPIES OF WRITINGS, DRAWINGS,

AND THE LIKE.

Patented Nov. 13, 1888.

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NlTE bl'rarns GUSTAV HENRY BLOCK, OF PENGE, COUNTY OF SURREY, ENGLAND.

APPARATUS FOR REPRODUCING COPIES OF WRITINGS, DRAWINGS, AND THE LIKE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent lilo. 392,777, dated November 13,1888.

Application filed January 1, 1888. Serial No. 259,808. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, Gus'rnv HENRY BLOCK, at present residing at 26 ()akfield Road, Penge, in the county of Surrey, England,lithographer, have invented new and useful Apparatus for Reproducing Copies of NVritings, Drawings, and the Like, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

My invention relates to portable apparatus for reproducing copies of writings, drawings, and the like.

The apparatus is of that class in which a lithographic stone or zinc plate is written or drawn on directly with lithographic ink, and, after being etched or prepared in the usual or any other suitable manner, a negative or reverse impression ofthe writing or drawing is taken on a sheet of gelatinous composition, which constitutes the printing surface from which the impressions are transferred onto paper. Heretofore this printing medium has been in the form of a loose flexible sheet secured along one of its edges only to the frame in which the stone or plate is held, and unless great care is taken the negative becomes slurred and yields defective prints.

The object of this invention is to provide a portable apparatus with which perfect impressions may be readily obtained by an unskilled person.

Beference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a face view of the apparatus open in position for printing. Fig. 2' is a cross-section of the same on line 1 1, Fig. 1; and Fig. 3 is a similar section, the apparatus being in position for transferring the original writing, due, on stone or zinc to the gelatinous printing-surface.

The same letters of reference indicate the same parts in all the figures.

The apparatus consists of a pair of open frames, A B, hinged together, so as to open and close bookwise, and containing the one A a lithographic stone, 0, (or it may be a zinc plate fixed on a backing-board,) which is removably fitted in the rabbeted opening of said frame, and the other, B, a sheet of composition, D, (hereinafter described,) stretched on an inner open frame, (1, fitted in the rabbeted opening of said frame. These two frames are supported for use upon a base-board, E,

carrying a supporting-block, F,which fills the opening of frame B, and supports the composition sheet D under the pressure with which the paper is applied thereon in printing. The base-board has also two corner guide-blocks, e c, which fit in the opening of frame A, and serve to insure the proper relative position of the frame B with regard to the block F.

The stone or plate 0 and sheet D are so placed in their frames that when the latter are closed together the sheet D will be applied fairly and evenly on the stone or plate.

The mode of using the apparatus is as follows: The lithographic stone or zinc plate having first been suitably prepared and then been written or drawn on with lithographic ink, etched, and rolled up with an inking-roller in the usual manner, the frames A B are closed together, as shown in Fig. 3, so that the face of the composition sheet D is laid upon the face of the stone or plate G, and pressure is then applied by means of a roller applied to the back of the composition sheet, whereby a reverse impressionis'obtained upon said sheet. The frames A B are then opened out, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, so that the block F fills up the opening of frame B beneath sheet D, for which it forms a supporting-bed when the paper to be printed is applied upon the face of sheet D. The impression having been taken upon paper by rolling a suitable roller over the back of the paper sheet laid upon the gelatinous sheet supported by the block F, as above mentioned, the lithographic stone or plate is then rolled up again, the gelatinous sheet is reapplied. upon the ink stone or plate, so as to produce a renewed transfer impression on the gelatinous sheet, from which a second impression on paper is obtained as before, and so on ad infinitum. This renewed transfer impression must coincide with absolute accuracy with the first impression which was obtained on the gelati nous sheet, (otherwise the negative will become slurred,) and this absolute accuracy is in sured by mounting the lithographic stone or plate and the gelatinous sheet in frames hinged together and provided with the adjuncts above described.

For convenience of packing, I prefer to divide the base-board centrally at f, so that it may be doubled on itself, as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 8, the two parts of the base-board being preferably connected by what are known as card-table hinges.

The composition sheet D consists of the following ingredients, incorporated in about the proportions mentioned, viz: glue, tcn parts, by weight; gelatine, five parts, by weight; glycerine, one part, by weight. The glue and gelatine are swelled with water in the usual way, and warmed to melt them,after which the glycerine is added and the whole stirred well together. To this mixture is then added suffieient solution of india-rubber in naphtha to render the composition firm and enable it to resist warmth and damp. The quantity of india rubber required is small-say about one part. The india-rubber solution having been stirred well in the warm mixture, the latter is spread on a backing of American cloth or other suitable material.

Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I claim is 1. In a printing apparatus, the two open frames A B, hinged together and containing the one a lithographic stone or zine plate, and the other having a gelatinous sheet stretched on it, so that when the one frame is folded on the other the surface of the gelatinous sheet will be applied upon the stone or plate, substantially as shown and described.

2. In a printing apparatus, the two open frames A B, hinged together and containing the one a lithographic stone or zinc plate,and the other having a gelatinous sheet stretched on it, as described, in combination with a baseboard, ]G, having a block, F, adapted to fit in the frame B and support the gelatinous sheet and guide-blocks 0, whereby the proper relative position of frame B and block Fis insured, substantially as shown and described.

The foregoing specification of my apparatus for reproducing copies of writings, drawings, and the like signed by me this 18th day of November, 1887.

GUSTAV HENRY BLOCK. Witnesses:

WILMnn M. Hnmns,

Notary Public, 17 G-raccchm'chStreet, London.

WALTER J. SKERTEN,

17 Graccchurch Street, London, E. 0. 

